Ruben Amorim is yet to manage his first Manchester United game but it looks like he’s made his mind up about a section of the squad after his initial training sessions!
Amorim first took training on Monday, November 18, and the way it was covered would have given him an idea of the scale of the job he had walked into.
Antony played in a new role that day, while Amorim’s praise for Mason Mount during the session grabbed many eyeballs too.
With injured players returning to the frame, Ruben Amorim has probably walked into the club at a good time in a condition Erik ten Hag dreamed of.
Still, it looks like he has decided on the position he wants the club to strengthen in the transfer market as soon as possible, according to Fabrizio Romano.
Fabrizio Romano on Man Utd’s transfer priority
Right off the bat, some holes in the current Man Utd squad are obvious and it doesn’t take a genius squad planner to figure it out.
The centre-back situation looks fine for now but Victor Lindelof’s contract is expiring, Harry Maguire’s contract is too hefty to be a squad player, and Jonny Evans will retire. Therefore, a new centre-back will be needed.
Tyrell Malacia and Luke Shaw are both close to returning but neither is dependable so there’s a place for a more permanent solution there too.
Joshua Zirkzee hasn’t set the Premier League alight while Rasmus Hojlund has potential but is extremely raw, and one only needs to look at United’s goalscoring woes to realise something needs to be done.
Therefore, Amorim and United needed to decide what they wanted to prioritise and as per Romano, they have.
He said on his YouTube channel: “Left back is a priority position. In 2025, Man Utd want to sign an important left-back. Amorim wants a top left-footed player in that position.
Let me say clearly today that Man Utd are working on a new, important left-back or left-wingback. For sure United will do something there.”
Man Utd targeting two players for left-back
Romano expanded upon the search for United’s new left-back and named two players in particular that are being concretely linked to the club.
One, of course, is Alphonso Davies, linked to Man Utd incessantly over the last few months as his contract at Bayern Munich nears its end.
Davies is also liked by Real Madrid and his wages can prove to be a stumbling block so he might be the dream target, but not very realistic at the moment.
The other player, Romano reveals, has been on the scouting team’s radar long before Amorim joined and that is Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez.
Romano said: “They are monitoring Kerkez, even before Amorim, so is from the scouting, is Milos Kerkez from Bournemouth.
“It’s not only Kerkez or Davies, there are also other names they are monitoring. Liverpool are also monitoring him and Richard Hughes, Liverpool director, knows him so well from his time at Bournemouth.”
Kerkez has been linked to Man Utd before but they didn’t go anywhere, with the club opting to sign Noussair Mazraoui for his versatility.
Mazraoui’s transfer has been a huge success but with Shaw and Malacia’s situation, United clearly want a more secure name for what should be a pivotal position for Amorim.
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